Obama’s FERC Nominees Confirmed by U.S. Senate

July 15 (Bloomberg) -- Norman Bay and Cheryl LaFleur won
U.S. Senate confirmation today to serve on the Federal Energy
Regulatory Commission, overcoming opponents who said Bay was too
inexperienced for the post.

Bay won Senate approval by a vote of 52-45. Lawmakers
confirmed LaFleur by a 90-7 vote.

In a deal Senate Democrats brokered with the White House,
LaFleur will remain acting chairman of the five-person
commission for nine months. FERC Enforcement Director Bay,
President Barack Obama’s choice to be chairman, will succeed
LaFleur in the top post after serving as a commissioner.

The vote settles more than a year of uncertainty about
leadership at the FERC, which oversees the reliability of the
nation’s electric grid and polices energy markets against
manipulation. A previous Obama chairman nominee, former Colorado
utility regulator Ron Binz, withdrew in September after failing
to win enough support in the Senate.

Republicans questioned the leadership qualifications of
Bay, a former federal prosecutor in New Mexico.

“He has never served on the commission and does not
possess the background in policy areas that FERC is charged with
overseeing,” Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said today in
remarks before the vote. LaFleur “is much more qualified to
hold the chair position,” he said.

Bay has been the FERC’s enforcement office since July 2009,
leading investigations of alleged market manipulation by
companies including JPMorgan Chase & Co. and Barclays Plc.

LaFleur, a commissioner since 2010, is the former acting
chief executive of National Grid Plc’s U.S. unit.